The Witcher Season 2 Episode 3 Recap – What Is Lost

[00:01:00] Ciri continued training. This time she lost the dress and changed into something more adequate for training. She continued hacking away at her training dummy while Geralt fixed his armor. Ciri failed to complete the combos of her attack, but she didn’t give up. Geralt was happy with Ciri’s enthusiasm, but he told her to stop and rest. Ciri quoted Sir Lazlo back in Cintra. She told Geralt that less than perfect was death. Geralt responded that Ciri’s stomach was growling so loud that she could wake up the dead. Ciri responded that hunger makes great sauce, but Geralt countered and told her that hunger also made lousy lunges. As they walked back inside, Ciri had a vision of a forest burning. Geralt assured Ciri that she was safe in Kaer Morhen and that she had nothing to worry about.

[00:03:30] There was distress among the witchers as Geralt told Ciri to rest after she had had lunch. Lambert wasn’t okay with Geralt killing Eskel. He thought they had lost a brother because he had decided to bring Ciri to Kaer Morhen. Geralt responded that what he had killed was no longer their brother. Lambert felt that Geralt had chosen the easy way out instead of helping Eskel until the end. As Geralt left the hall, he saw a flashback of his memories with Eskel. They were talking during a previous winter about training and resting. After their talk, the two of them walked away to resume training. Geralt remembered their talk as if it was yesterday. Geralt went to the lab where Vesemir was dissecting Eskel’s remains. He couldn’t find the cause of Eskel’s mutation. He didn’t want to give up, but Geralt told him that it was time that Eskel rested.

[00:06:00] Geralt told Vesemir that Eskel deserved peace. Vesemir took one last glance at Eskel and agreed with Geralt. Meanwhile, Tissaia wrote the names of the mages that had fallen in the Battle of Sodden. Last on the list was Yennefer; she didn’t want to write her name, but it had been days since they had last seen her. After writing the names, Tissaia attended a meeting of the brotherhood mages. They were asking Istredd if he had found any clues to Nilfgaard’s plans to attack while he was staying in the Nilfgaardian dig site. Istredd responded that he hadn’t foreseen any plans of attack. Tissaia and Vilgefortz argued that if the brotherhood had listened to them in the first place, they could’ve prevented a war.

[00:08:00] Artorius and Stregobor argued that Vilgefortz had only had a hunch at the time. Stregobor suggested that they take action as the elves were allying with Nilfgaard. The brotherhood needed to counter the threat before they were overwhelmed. Stregobor told everyone that they would be burying more than 14 mages if Nilfgaard could strike in full power alongside the elves. Yennefer responded that they had only buried 13 mages. Tissaia was surprised to hear Yennefer, as was everyone. Istredd could only call out Yennefer’s name in awe that she was still alive. Yennefer looked at Tissaia, and she could see the relief in Tissaia’s eyes from knowing she was still alive.

[00:10:00] Tissaia revealed that she had waited a month before carving the names of the dead mages. She hadn’t wanted to give up on her; however, without any news, she had ultimately decided to accept fate. She thanked Yennefer for her actions at Sodden. Yennefer had saved everyone; however, they couldn’t allow her to take credit for the victory just yet. Tissaia and Vilgefortz planned to overthrow Stregobor and Artorius from the council. They decided to let Vilgefortz claim the victory mantle over the Battle of Sodden so that they could strengthen their position in the council. Yennefer didn’t have any problems with Tissaia’s plans. Tissaia told Yennefer that now was the time to be strong like she was in Sodden.

[00:11:30] Filavandrel and Francesca talked things over at Cintra. They watched as Elven refugees flocked to the city as the news spread of Nilfgaard’s alliance with the Elves. Filavandrel was worried that they had made the wrong choice by allying themselves with Nilfgaard. Francesca believed that Ithlinne had guided her decision to side with Nilfgaard. The elves were temporarily safe, but Francesca wasn’t thinking about the future; she was just in the here and now. Francesca told Filavandrel to stop worrying and enjoy things while they lasted. She encouraged him to eat meat and fill his stomach as their enemies would face Nilfgaard instead of their people. Filavandrel hoped that Francesca wouldn’t lead their people to their doom. Meanwhile, Ciri continued training with her dummy. Lambert and Coen went outside to see what she was doing. They told her that they hadn’t spent countless hours hitting a training dummy.

[00:13:30] Lambert managed to get inside Ciri’s nerves. A little taunting and she took the bait. Lambert and Coen took Ciri to a training area for witchers. Lambert activated the machine and told Ciri to try it. It was an obstacle course; however, it posed a real danger for anyone who attempted it. The platforms were attached to wooden beams by ropes. The wooden poles had metal spikes on them that swung back and forth. Ciri hesitated, but she knew there was no turning back. She wanted to prove that she was not just a little princess. Ciri climbed up the first part of the obstacle. She managed to cross the first wooden pole, but the second one knocked her off the platform. Ciri squirmed in pain as Lambert approached her. He asked Ciri if she still wanted to be a witcher.

[00:16:00] Geralt and Vesemir brought Eskel’s remains to a cave. Vesemir got a bit emotional as Geralt asked him how they had missed what happened to Eskel. Geralt told Vesemir that he could feel the changes, but they had still missed Eskel’s mutation. Vesemir couldn’t accept what had happened to Eskel. He wanted Geralt to tell him what he had missed, what he could’ve done to save Eskel. Before he could tell Vesemir, two wolves arrived. They left Eskel’s remains with the wolves. Meanwhile, Yennefer checked to see if she still had any powers. She went to one of the pools in Aretuza and recited an incantation, but nothing happened. The other mages went over to greet Yennefer and welcome her back. Sabrina heated the pool using her magic, and they went for a swim. Yennefer invited Triss to take a swim with them, but she refused.

[00:19:00] Stregobor was showing the other mages the dangers of trusting the elves. He spoke about King Vridank and her daughter Falka. Per Stregobor’s story, Falka lusted for power, and she killed her father to gain it. Falka had burned cities to the ground and killed other mages to do it. Stregobor thought that if Tissaia and Vilgefortz were to lead the council, they would perish at the hands of Yennefer. Istredd tried to defend Falka and Yennefer, but Stergobor shamed him. He showed the other mages what had happened to him at the hands of Falka. Stregobor lost both hands. After his story, Stregobor told Istredd that history had a way of repeating itself. Istredd assured Stregobor that Yennefer would not become like Falka. Stregobor responded that the only certainty he has in the world is that everybody is not what they seem.

[00:22:00] Yennefer understood why Triss didn’t want to swim with them. Triss explained that, in the Battle of Sodden, Yennefer had walked over her while she was burning and squirming on the battlefield. Yennefer apologized for not helping her, but Triss didn’t mind. Triss was glad that if anyone was going to survive the battle, it was Yennefer. Yennefer told Triss that she would ask Tissaia for help regarding her scars. Triss told Yennefer that she needed to find her own way to recover from her defeat in Sodden. Meanwhile, Ciri got up and tried the obstacle course again. She tried multiple times to get through the wooden poles, but she failed each time. Lambert and Coen told her that she had tried enough and invited her to go back to the citadel, but she didn’t want to give up.

[00:24:00] Ciri got up and tried again. She managed to make it through the first obstacle, but she immediately failed the second. Lambert approached her and wanted Ciri to admit that she didn’t have what it took to become a witcher. Meanwhile, one of the Nilfgaardian generals confronted Fringilla about the elven refugees. He asked how she planned to feed them when there were over 4000 elves that had entered Cintra. He added that there were more on the way. Fringilla responded that the white flame always found a way. Fringilla invited Francesca to talk about their new alliance. Francesca knew that Fringilla needed a new army after she had failed in Sodden. Francesca offered her troops in exchange for a promise of a new beginning. She showed Fringilla that she was pregnant, which was why she wanted her to promise that she would fulfill her side of their agreement.

[00:27:00] Yennefer roamed around Aretuza when she heard whispers around the corner. She went over to investigate and bumped into Vilgefortz. He stopped Yennefer for a little chitchat so that she wouldn’t discover who he had been talking with. After their conversation, Yennefer continued down the hallway, but she didn’t find anyone. Instead, Yennefer found Cahir. She offered her condolences to Cahir as he was being kept as a prisoner. Cahir responded that he found mages to be merciful since he was still alive. Yennefer told him that death needed to have a purpose, which was why he was still alive. Cahir’s death wouldn’t serve anyone any purpose. Cahir told Yennefer that Fringilla used to envy her back when they were in training. After her conversation with Cahir, Yennefer bumped into Stregobor.

[00:30:00] Stregobor touched Yennefer’s shoulder, which transports him into a mind prison. He began interrogating Yennefer regarding what she had done for a month after the battle of Sodden. She told Stregobor that she was a prisoner of war. Stregobor was trying to accuse Yennefer of siding with Nilfgaard. He wanted to know what had happened to Yennefer, but she refused to talk. Stregobor used Tissaia’s method to find out what happened to Yennefer. He grabbed Yennefer’s head and peaked into her memories. He saw the elven ruins that Yennefer had entered, how she was captured by elves and kept as a prisoner with Fringilla. Before Stregobor saw more of Yennefer’s memories, Tissaia arrived to interfere. She blew Stregobor away from Yennefer. Tissaia told Stregobor that he would answer to the council for his actions.

[00:32:00] Geralt and Vesemir returned to Kaer Morhen and began looking for Ciri. Coen told them to come with him so that they could see Ciri in action. She had refused to give up, so Lambert decided to teach Ciri instead. She managed to make it through the first two obstacles as Geralt and Vesemir arrived. Ciri wanted to make Geralt proud, so she did everything she could to pass the third obstacle, but she failed to stick her landing and dropped to the ground. Geralt approached Ciri and told her that she was so close. Ciri was devastated that Geralt couldn’t acknowledge that she had managed to make it to the end despite failing the landing.

[00:34:00] Tissaia called a meeting with the council. She told them that Stregobor had committed treason against one of their mages. The meeting backfired on Tissaia though as Stregobor told everyone what he had seen in Yennefer’s memories. He was accusing Yennefer of being a spy for Nilfgaard. He told Vilgefortz that if he wanted to defend the brotherhood, then he needed to accept the fact that they would also have enemies within the walls of Aretuza. Stregobor told everyone how Yennefer had survived the battle of Sodden, survived fire magic, survived being imprisoned by the elves, and returned to Aretuza unscathed. He found it rather impossible that Yennefer was released by the elves without making any deals. Later that night, Tissaia told Yennefer that she needed to kill Cahir to prove to the council that she was not a Nilfgaardian spy.

[00:36:00] Yennefer refused to kill Cahir. She told Tissaia that killing Cahir would only prove to everyone that she was a killer and give Stregobor more reason to vilify her. Tissaia told Yennefer that she had no other choice but to tell everyone the truth. Yennefer needed to tell the council that she was not a threat to them because she had lost her magic. Yennefer spent a month trying to find a cure to get her magic back, but she failed. She asked Tissaia to help her, but she couldn’t. The same way she couldn’t see into Cahir’s mind, she told Yennefer that what was lost was lost. Meanwhile, Ciri tended to her wounds while telling Geralt that she had almost completed the course. Geralt told Ciri that she could do anything, but that didn’t mean she had to.

[00:38:30] Geralt told Ciri that she didn’t have the luxury of healing as other witchers did. He told Ciri that she needed to train first, but Ciri thought Geralt wasn’t allowing her to train enough. Ciri responded that she wanted to become a great fighter. Geralt told Ciri that he knew so many people who had wanted to become great fighters in his time, but they were all dead. Ciri angrily left the room as she didn’t understand why Geralt was being so careful of her. As Geralt looked up, he saw a twig sprouting from the walls of Ciri’s room. He pulled on the twig to reveal a crack in the walls where Eskel’s roots had sprouted. He pulled on the roots and saw Queen Calanthe’s scarf.

[00:41:00] Yennefer planned to leave Aretuza instead of facing the council. Istredd saw Yennefer and told her about his secret. Istredd had lied to the council about his days in Nilfgaard. He hadn’t told them about how the followers felt safe under the emperor’s rule. Istredd told Yennefer that he was leaving for Cintra the next day to help the elves migrate. Yennefer told Istredd that she was not a spy for Nilfgaard. Istredd told Yennefer about Stregobor’s spies, who were on the lookout for her. After her talk with Istredd, Yennefer heard the voice of the forest witch. She told Yennefer to come to her.

[00:43:00] Ciri continued training under Coen. Geralt disrupted her training and asked her to describe the feeling when something was coming after her. Ciri couldn’t explain the feeling to Geralt, so he asked the first word she thought of during that specific feeling. Ciri responded that she felt like she was being pulled, but she didn’t know where. Geralt asked Ciri where the feeling would take her if she decided to follow it. Ciri closed her eyes to remember the feeling of being pulled. She took a moment and told Geralt that she was being pulled to the woods. Geralt and Ciri embark into the woods to find what was pulling her. Ciri asked Geralt why the feeling chose her. Geralt told Ciri that her mother had shown uncontrolled magical power on the day of her wedding. He thought that Ciri had inherited her mother’s power.

[00:45:00] Geralt and Ciri continued walking into the forest, and they stumbled upon a Leshy. The Leshy was missing a hand. Geralt told Ciri that it was the Leshy that Eskel had encountered. Geralt battled the Leshy, but before he could kill it, a new enemy appeared. The new enemy killed the Leshy and charged Geralt. Geralt told Ciri to run as he fought the beast. It was half-demon, half centipede. Geralt used his powers to conjure up a shield to block the beast’s attack. The beast decided to go after Ciri since it couldn’t attack Geralt. Ciri ran through the forest and hid under a couple of rocks. She continued to hear the beast’s roars and shrieks. Ciri decided to get out of hiding and continue running. She made the wrong decision as the beast managed to find her.

[00:47:30] Ciri ran toward the other direction, but the beast cornered her. The beast stared at Ciri and stopped to deal the killing blow. Before the beast could strike, Geralt arrived and killed it. Meanwhile, all the mages of the brotherhood accompanied Yennefer as she prepared to kill Cahir. The event was attended by the Kings of the northern kingdoms. Artorius thanked all the kings for their generous donations to honor their fallen comrades from the Battle of Sodden. Tissaia named all of the fallen mages before Vilgefortz addressed everyone regarding Cahir. They brought him forward and made Cahir kneel on a wooden pedestal. Vilgefortz told everyone that Cahir’s head would be sent to Cintra to show Nilfgaard the strength of the brotherhood and the northern kingdoms. Vilgefortz handed the axe to Yennefer.

[00:53:00] Cahir took one last look at Yennefer before accepting his death. Yennefer swung her ax but not to kill Cahir. She cut off his cuffs and allowed Cahir to escape. Everyone was surprised by her move. She also cut the bonfires down so that no one could follow them. Yennefer got on a horse with Cahir and rode away. Cahir wanted to know why Yennefer had saved him, but she didn’t tell him.